Day 62- Glass factory stories

Posted on by Kate Kennedy

We love Wednesdays because we get to hear stories about Kane’s history from the Historic Preservation Society! Tonight John Marconi shares about the once thriving glass industry right here in Kane and James City.

The photo of glass featured at the top of the blog are examples of what was used to pave roads in James  city instead of gravel. That fact was featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not because it was the only place where streets were made of glass.

Watch the video to hear more stories from the era of glass factories in and around Kane!

 

A few pictures:

One of the glass factories heated glass, blew it, cut it then heated it again to flatten it. The top picture shoe glass going into the heat and the bottom picture shows it coming out

 

The James City glass factory was one of the largest, employing 500 people

 

This is how many people got to work at the James City Glass factory

 

 

 

Glass cutters from James City. There was a diamond on top to cut glass and a hammer to break it

 

Different types of glass

 

Glass bottles that didn’t expand. These were found in the ground after the factory was closed for years

 

Tonight’s story teller John Marconi from the Kane Historic Preservation Society

 

We still have a few Wednesdays left during 100 Days. What stories about Kane history would you like to hear in the upcoming weeks?

2 thoughts on “Day 62- Glass factory stories”

  1. Very informative! My Great Grandfather was an electrical engineer at The American Plate Glass Factory In James City. My Grandmother spent most of her childhood here. Maybe someday I will visit!

    Reply

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